Ficus hillii holds a clipped shape better than almost any other plant: dense, glossy and quick to recover from the shears. It is also a fig, with roots that lift paving and break pipes. This guide covers where it is safe to plant, how to grow it in a planter, and how to clip, feed and look after a topiary.
Read this before planting Ficus hillii
Ficus microcarpa var. hillii, the Hill's weeping fig, grows into a tree 12 metres tall and 8 metres wide if it is left alone. Figs have some of the most aggressive roots of any plant commonly sold. Mature trees have lifted driveways, cracked slabs, blocked and broken sewer and stormwater lines, and damaged pools and retaining walls, and many councils will not plant them near infrastructure.
| Situation | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Large pot or planter box | Ideal. The roots are contained, and it takes clipping perfectly |
| Open lawn, well away from services | Fine with 8 to 10 metres of clearance |
| Rural or acreage block | Fine |
| Beside a driveway, path or slab | Avoid |
| Near sewer, stormwater or a pool | Avoid entirely |
| Narrow suburban boundary | Avoid. Choose lilly pilly or murraya |
If there is a sewer or stormwater line anywhere near the planting spot, our planting near pipes guide gathers the water utilities' distances and their lists of trees to avoid.
Growing it in a pot or planter
A large planter is the best way to use this plant, and it is how most of the clipped figs in courtyards and commercial landscapes are grown. The restricted roots also slow the growth a little, which suits a clipped shape.
- Choose a pot at least 50 cm wide with good drainage holes, and stand it on paving, not on soil the roots can escape into.
- Use a premium potting mix, and mulch the surface.
- Repot every two to three years into fresh mix. For a plant that must stay in the same pot, trim the outer roots and replace the outer mix.
Where it grows in Australia
- Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, northern NSW: very well, and very fast.
- Sydney and coastal NSW: very good, and widely used in formal hedging.
- Perth: grows well with summer water.
- Melbourne and Adelaide: workable in sheltered positions; young plants are frost tender.
- Darwin and tropical Queensland: extremely vigorous, and needs frequent clipping.
- Canberra and cold inland: marginal. Frost limits it.
Choosing the right location
Full sun to part shade. In full sun the growth is densest and the clipped surface tightest. Shelter potted plants from strong wind, which tips over top heavy standards, and from frost in the south.
Clipping and shaping
This is what the plant is grown for. Trim three or four times through the growing season in warm climates, more often in Brisbane and Darwin and less in Melbourne. Frequent light trimming gives the dense, fine surface of a good topiary; one hard cut a year gives coarse growth and visible stubs.
- Ball on a stem. Keep one straight stem clear of shoots, and clip the head to a ball, turning the pot as you go.
- Hedge or screen. Clip so the base is slightly wider than the top, so light reaches the lower leaves. Our guide on how to create a great hedge and keep it looking sharp covers the timing.
- Renovation. It reshoots from old wood, so a neglected plant can be cut back hard in spring and retrained.
The cut stems bleed a milky sap that irritates skin and marks paving. Wear gloves, and hose the paving down afterwards. Left unclipped, the same plant makes a tall screen, as our guide to the best fast growing screening trees for privacy explains.
Watering and feeding
- Water. In pots, water when the top few centimetres of mix are dry: every day or two in summer. In the ground, water deeply once a week through the first summer.
- Feed. A clipped plant is always regrowing, so feed in spring and again in midsummer with a slow release fertiliser, and give potted plants a liquid feed monthly through the warm months. Our guide to the science behind fertilisers explains the numbers on the bag.
Pests and problems
- Leaf drop. Figs shed leaves after a move, a cold snap or a dry spell. New leaves follow once conditions settle.
- Curled, folded leaves. Thrips feeding in the new growth. Clip off and bin the affected tips.
- Scale and sooty mould. Treat with horticultural oil.
- Yellow leaves in a pot. Usually hunger or waterlogged mix. Check the drainage holes, then feed.
Related figs
Indoors, the closely related weeping fig behaves in a similar way, as our guide to caring for Ficus benjamina sets out, and our fiddle leaf fig guide covers the other popular indoor fig. For a fig trained flat against a wall, see our climbing fig care guide.
Alternatives if the position is wrong
For the same dense, clipped look on a suburban boundary, near paving or anywhere near services, plant a psyllid resistant lilly pilly, murraya or sweet viburnum. All three clip well and screen densely, with roots that will not cost you a driveway.
Common questions
Are Ficus hillii roots invasive?
Yes. Keep it in a pot or planter, or plant it 8 to 10 metres from buildings, paving and pipes.
How often should I trim a Ficus hillii topiary?
Three or four light trims through the warm months.
Can Ficus hillii grow in full sun?
Yes. Full sun gives the densest growth.
How big does Ficus hillii get?
Up to 12 metres tall and 8 metres wide unclipped. Clipping and a pot keep it to any size you choose.
Ready to plant?
Browse our ficus range for topiary and standards, or see the wider hedging and screening collection if you would like a solid green wall.
The Hills Weeping Fig is the usual choice for clipping into a ball or a standard, and Ficus hillii Emerald is the narrower selection for a tight screening line, both delivered Australia wide.
